1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a telecommunications system, and more particularly to using the 900-service telecommunications infrastructure to provide single-use and short term access to fee for access Internet sites.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Some Internet Web sites, such as those for reference materials, e.g., Physicians Desk Reference, stock and investments news letters, e.g., TheStreet.com, and some newspapers, e.g., the Wall Street Journal, are intended to produce revenue in the form of charges for access to the site. Today such access charges are typically collected through a subscription process, whereby the person desiring access completes a registration form, provides a credit card number to which the access price for some period of time is charged, and receives in return an identification number/password that can be used to access the Web site. While this subscription system for charging for access is workable for individuals who expect to have continuing needs for access to a particular web site, it has certain drawbacks.
Granting access by subscription only is analogous to requiring individuals to take out a year""s subscription to a magazine rather than paying the single copy price to satisfy their interest in a particular article that has attracted their attention. The requirement to subscribe to a particular web site similarly creates a barrier to visitation by casual users who would be willing to pay for particular items of interest, but cannot justify the cost of subscribing to the service as the cost for acquisition for that one item of information. Just as a subscription requirement would eliminate newsstand sales of magazines, the subscription mechanism for web sites puts off a whole body of potential users who might use the site as a source of a particular article, piece of information or graphic.
Further, the use of a credit card as the medium of payment of small charges is not cost-effective. Even if the subscription mechanism were set up for separate prices of one-time/limited time entry to web sites, the reasonable prices that might be charged for such access would, in general, be too small for credit card handling. From the users"" point of view, for example, there is a very large psychological barrier to giving out the information of a credit card with a $10,000 limit to an unfamiliar destination to cover a fifty cent fee. From the point of view of the web site owner, the handling overhead for hundreds of small charges is certainly daunting, if not prohibitive.
It is therefore highly desirable to have an alternate system for collecting fees for access to web sites that would circumvent the inherent limitations in the subscription mechanism. Such a system would both expand the potential market for web sites that are currently accessed only by subscription to include what might be a very large body of casual users who are willing to pay smaller prices for one-time access, and open up a whole new market of xe2x80x9cadmission pricexe2x80x9d web sites, which are accessed by paying a small access fee for each visit to the site.
One such solution, U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,414 entitled xe2x80x9c900 NUMBER BILLING AND COLLECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ON-LINE COMPUTER SERVICESxe2x80x9d proposes several methods to enable an on-line service provider to collect revenue from a 900-toll billing network though an access management computer. Several conceptual methods are provided, but these methods do not necessarily represent the optimum methods of connectivity for the existing 900-service infrastructure.
The method and system for utilizing 900 service for single use and short term access to internet subscription services of the present invention overcomes the limitations of the related art discussed above.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for using an existing caller pays service telecommunications infrastructure to provide single use and short term access to fee for access Internet web sites. The method comprising registering one or more fee for access Internet web sites with an access code handling system to generate and communicate user ID and password pairs to be used to validate payment for access to each fee for access Internet web site, provisioning one or more caller pays numbers for each registered fee for access Internet web site, and registering each provisioned number with one or more intelligent network service switches to which the provisioned numbers would be routed, routing any user originated calls by a user who desires to access the one or more fee for access Internet sites to both an automated voice response unit and a caller pays service billing system, providing the user with a session user ID via a display generated by the fee for access Internet web site, communicating via the caller pays telecommunications infrastructure a password associated with the session user ID and service option for the registered fee for access Internet web site via the automated voice response unit, and billing the user for the selected option with the caller pays service billing network.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for implementing an existing caller pays telecommunications infrastructure to provide single use and short term access to fee for access Internet web sites. The system comprises an access code handling system for generating and communicating user ID and password pairs to be used to validate payment for access to each fee for access Internet web site, a provisioning system for registering one or more caller pays call numbers for each fee for access Internet web site and registering each provisioned number within or more intelligent network service switches to which the provisioned numbers would be routed, a public switched network for routing any user originated calls by a user who desires to access the one or more fee for access Internet web sites to both an automated voice response unit and a caller pays billing system via the one or more intelligent network service switches, the fee for access Internet web site providing a web-based communication to the user enabling user selection of the one or more service options and generating a user ID in accordance with the user selection, the user communicating the user ID to the access code handling system via the automated voice response unit and, a network switch initiating billing for the user selection via the caller pays service billing system, and the access code handling system generating an associated password according to the password assignment protocol, wherein the voice response unit further communicates to the user, in response to receipt of a session user ID, an associated password in accordance with the protocol for the registered fee for access Internet web site, and the access code handling system communicates the user ID, the password and the service option to the registered fee for access Internet web site, and a verification device for verifying the session user ID and password provided to the user and the user ID and password communicated to the fee for access Internet web site, whereby the fee for access Internet web site enabling access to web site content upon verification.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for utilizing an access code handling system to control a user""s access to digital data provided by an on-line server over a data network, wherein a billing system separate from the on-line server charges the user for access to the digital data. The method comprising the steps of the user receiving from the on-line server a user ID code, the access code handling system receiving, from the billing system, a message indicating that the user has requested access to digital data via the user ID code, the access code handling system communicating a password associated with the user ID code to a voice response unit, the voice response unit communicating to the user the password, and the access code handling system providing, to the billing system, indication that the password has been communicated to the user, the billing system assigning appropriate charges to the user""s telephone service provider account.
The present invention is directed to a method and system for collecting small access fees for one-time/limited time access to web sites by capitalizing on the capabilities afforded by the combination of 900-(caller pays) long distance telephone service, and Intelligent Network Services (INS) that implement the VRUs (Voice Response Units) for 800-(called party pays) service. The method as outlined below is simple and cost effective to implement.
A company desiring to operate an xe2x80x9cfee for accessxe2x80x9d web site obtains a 900-number from a long distance carrier. As is well-known, this series of numbers provides billing of the cost of the long distance call, together with a surcharge to the telephone number that originates the call. The combined costs of such calls are then reported and collected on the telephone bill of the caller who originated them. From the amount collected, the long distance carrier consolidates collections, deducts a charge for the call and a portion of the surcharge, and passes all the rest of the money collected on to the 900-number subscriber.
In accordance with the present invention, the long distance carrier then sets up routing of that particular 900-number through an INS VRU module that is capable of receiving digits dialed from a telephone and producing a voice response. The 900-number VRU module is also supplemented with an interface to an access code handling system that: (a) can automatically maintain a data base comprising a set of x-digit codes representing user identification numbers, and associated y-character alphanumeric codes representing the assigned passwords for active users; and (b) can effect data transfer to the host system for the xe2x80x9cfee for accessxe2x80x9d web site, to update the host copy of that data base, or receive and validate an x-digit/y-character pair sent from the host web site.
When individuals log into the web site, they are informed via displays on the home page that the site is an xe2x80x9cfee for access sitexe2x80x9d, and further access will cost z cents. When the individuals assent to that charge, they are further informed that their user identification number is x, and that they are to call the 900-number to obtain a password for access to the web site.
When the call to the 900-number is placed, it is answered by a voice response unit that instructs the caller to enter the x-digit number just obtained from the web site. The number is entered by dialing it, in the same way, for example, as credit card numbers are entered in response to voice recordings.
Upon receipt of the x-digit number and verification that it is valid for use, the access code handling system generates a y-character password that is automatically transmitted back to the web site host, or alternately has been transmitted earlier to a web site data base, for checking by the web site host. The y-character password is then played by the VRU, and thereby conveyed orally to the caller seeking the password.
The individual desiring access to the xe2x80x9cfee for accessxe2x80x9d web site has then paid for, and may use, the combination of the x-digit identification number obtained from the web site and the y-character password obtained from the 900-call to the VRU to log onto the web site.
Each log-on with that x-digit/y-character pair can then be monitored with commonly used password protection software until the agreed term of the admission to the web site (as defined, e.g., by the number of log-ons allowed with a particular combination or date of expiration) has expired, at which time the x-digit/y-character combination is invalidated.
The call handling systems for 900-calls and effecting the VRUs are both fully in place in the networks of major long distance carriers like MCI WorldCom. The system that should preferably be added to the existing INS capabilities to support the method just described comprises a software module, referred to here as an access code handling system, that interfaces with the VRU controller. This access code handling system preferably: (a) maintains a data base of user identification numbers and passwords for each of the different 900-numbers via which admission fees are collected for xe2x80x9cfee for accessxe2x80x9d web sites; (b) receives communications from the VRUs identifying which x-digit codes need passwords; (c) communicates the associated y-character passwords to the VRUs for generation of the voice announcements; and (d) effects data communications between itself and the xe2x80x9cfee for accessxe2x80x9d web site host systems supported to either automatically update a host-resident data base of active x-digit/y-character pairs, or respond to calls from the host systems for log-on verification.
The system and method of the present invention provide for rapid payment and access to pay to view Web sites. No credit card, charge card or debit card access is required and individuals do not have to sign up for extended subscription periods.